Smurfing Anew
by Sapphire9089
Summary: Daniella Waters thought life couldn't possibly get any worse. What could be more terrible than being an orphan? Having no one there for you when you need them most? With the help of a little magic, this brave young teen learns to face her fears and sets out on a journey to find where she truly belongs. Little did she know that her life would become a little smurfier along the way.
1. Prologue

_"Get back 'ere, ya bloody street rat!"_

"Witch! Witch! You'll be burned at the stake for ya misdeeds!"

Blood pounded in my ears as I sprinted through the Outback, passing row after row of red gum trees. The dry soil caked my boots in a thick layer of dust, the rising dirt stinging my eyes as I struggled to focus on the path ahead. Every stride increased the throbbing ache in my knees, my small knapsack feeling like a ton as I shot through the woods like a bat out of Hell. I could hear the dingoes coming closer, their noses hot on my trail, and my ankles burned as I jumped over a rock to duck into the shadows.

There it was. Abbey Creek. Without a second thought I dove into the water, disappearing from sight. The muddy water clawed at my lips as I struggled to hold my breath. It was warm and dark, the perfect home for crocs, and I let that notion be my motivation as I haphazardly climbed out of the water and gripped the roots of a Eukalyptis along the bank. Pressing my bruised back against the ridged bark, their voices slowly faded as I panted, breathless from the trek. The snuffles and grunts of the dingoes soon became echoes as they trotted away, the mud from the creek masking my scent.

A Kookaburra twittered in the branches above me, then all was quiet, and a large, cocky smile stretched my dry lips as I sighed in relief.

"Pssh. Bunch a drongoes." Chuckling silently, I stood up and slipped into the trees, letting out a breath as the canopy shielded me from sight and sunlight.

_Ya see that sheila up there? Y'know, the one runnin' like a cheetah on steroids? Well, that's me. Was me at least. Until I made a choice that changed my life forever..._


	2. Chapter 1 Into the Unknown

_I was alone. Clueless. A rookie, as you Americans call it. Heh, sorry. Gotta have me Aussie pride. I was different. An' because I was different, I was unwanted an' worthless. At least, that's wha' Ms. Pudge told me back in Hell, or the orphanage. Whateva' you prefer. When I say different, I mean tha' I'm a fifteen year old sorceress livin' in a world where magic is jus' an illusion, where people of me kind no longa' exist._

Eight long years I wasted away in a tiny, bleak room, waitin' for a family ta take me home. Now me room is empty. Not because I was adopted. Oh no, life would've been to perfect. By the time I turned fifteen I was fed up. Tired of bein' ignored. Tired of bein' unwanted. Tired of bein' unloved. So, I left. Okay, more like fled. I didn't have much. Pride, wit, an' a sack of memories. I set out ta follow me own path. Little did I know where tha' path would lead...

The air was unnaturally cool, and a gentle breeze tickled my neck as it lifted my long brunette hair behind my shoulders. A heavy mist was suspended in the air, thicker than Vegemite, and the dry jungle seemed to grow darker as I pressed on.

_"Stay calm, Dani. Whateva' ya do, don't scream. Ya don't wanna wake the bats. They carry disease, just like Ms. Pudge."_

Travis's words rang in my ears like the church bell on Sunday, and I felt my breathing settle a bit as the creek's soothing rhythm filled the air. He was the only one who believed in me.

The brush began to get thicker, and I pulled my dagger out of my pocket. Slicing away at the undergrowth, I crawled along the forest floor, ears pricking up a bit as a dingo howled in the distance. I had escaped the orphanage guards and hunting dogs. Could I evade Lady Death and actually survive on my own?

Narrowing my teal blue eyes in concentration, I carefully climbed across the ravine, the jagged rocks below showing me no mercy as they glinted in the fading light. The rugged cliff side grazed my palms as I swung from rock to rock, and I was panting by the time I reached the other side. The woods beyond the pass were black as pitch, and I cringed when a twig snapped under my boot.

The soft grass whistled as the wind blew, and I kept my eyes on the path ahead, gripping the handle of my bow so tightly my knuckles were turning white. Ducking under a tree branch, my eyes widened when I suddenly fell backwards and landed roughly on my bum. The dry underbrush rustled and crackled in protest beneath me as I sat up and faced the instigator with an icy glare.

"Stupid bloody rock...," Grumbling, I stood and brushed myself off, looking around as a chorus of toads began to sing along the bank.

"Crikey...,"

The path was gone. The path. Was gone.

_Ya hear me? I didn't stutta'._

I whipped my head back and forth, gripping my hair out of confusion and anxiety. My stumble had led me into a small clearing next to a hidden cave.

Shelter. That was all I cared about. And here it was.

It was cold. And it was dark.

And I was scared.

But not of the soul sucking darkness that now surrounded me as I climbed through the murky entrance.

_Whoosh_. The small flame flickered a bit, like a projector at the Cinema, and I cringed as a small breeze blew the fire near my face.

Being pyrophobic sucks eggs through a straw.

Almost every surface was covered in a soft, sticky moss, including the floor, and I had to resort to crawling as the cave's roof started sinking lower. Pushing back vegetation, I peeked through a small hole to see that a crystalline pool lay in my path. The gentle trickle of the waterfall above the pond was hypnotic, and my mind seemed to go blank as I found myself walking towards it. I couldn't turn away. Something was pulling me...dragging me...

A flash of bright, blue light.

And that's the last thing I remember...


End file.
